Charles judsdn stoddard



July 1 1924, 1,499,955

c. J. STODDARD IDENTIFICATION TAG AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Filed Oct. 3, 1919 lvweutoz Patented July I, 1924.

tense IDENTIFICATION TAG AND IVIETHOD OF MAKING SAME.

Application filed October 3,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Crninnns J. STODDARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Washington, District ofColumbia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Identification Tags and Method of Making Same, of which the following is a specification. Y

i This invention is an improved identification tag and method of making the same.

According to the present invention, the identifying data, including a 'finger print, appears upon the tag intaglio, the advantage of which is that the tag is free from projections which might scratch or otherwise annoy the wearer of the tag, while atthe same time the large smooth area of the tag outside of the identifying data takes all of the wear and thereby protects and guards the data against obliteration.

A further object of the invention is to enable the convenient collection of the identification data, including finger prints, of any number of persons, as for instance acompany, a battalion, a regiment, or the like of soldiers or sailors, and also to provide for the convenient and accurate arrangement of the data so that said data may be readily transferred to tags, the finger print upon. one side of the tag and the other corresponding identificationidata on the other side of the tag. I i v It is proposed to collect the data in the field, as for instance at cantonments, and then to send the data to a central bureau, plant or the like at which the tags will be produced from and in accordance with the data provided. In this connection, the present invention involves the use of certain blank forms arranged to receive the finger prints and other identification data in such accurate relation that a plurality of finger prints may be transferred to one side of a metal plate and the other data transferred to the opposite side of the plate in accurate register with the corresponding finger prints, whereby the production of the tags is simplified and accuracy is'insured in having .the corresponding finger print and other identification data upon one and thesame tag.

It is a further object of the invention to provide for simultaneously producing a plurality of tags from a single metal plate, thereby materially simplifying and reduc- 1919. Serial No. 328,121.

ing to the minimum the cost of the manu-' facture. Moreover duplication may be accomplished quickly and inexpensively.

According to the present invention the original collection of data may be accom-- plished by the use of a typewriting machine or by writing with pen and ink upon a specially ruled or subdivided blank, thereby insuring, clear cut and legible letters, figures and other identification data aswell as the finger prints which are intended to be made directly on the blank. From blanks thus filled out clear cut and accurate transfers may be made to metal plates and etched therein intaglio, thereby insuring accurate and legible identification characters upon the tags.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a plan view of an indentification tag embodying the features of this invention and showing the finger print side thereof.

Figure 2 is a similar'view of the opposite side of the tag.

Figure? is a plan view of one of the blanks employed for the collection of the identification data.

"In carrying out the present invention, there is provided a blank form, such as shown. in Figur 3 of the drawings. This form is a sheet of paper designated 1, on which the lines 2, 3, 4 and 5 indicate suitable printed matter or inscriptions indicating the service, militaryor naval, the particular branch thereof and any other indicating or record data as may be desired. A satisfactory form of blank also includes a. division line 6 dividing the blank into halves, and each half of the blank is subdivided, by suitable lines as shown, into an equal number of corresponding blank spaces. While .not essential, it is preferred to apply identification marks to the subdivisions, preferably by numbering them. In the present illustration, it will be noted that each half of the blank hasfive subdivisions extending transversely from left to right, and the uppermost set or series has been numbered from 1 to 5 inclusive, beginning with the left hand subdivision. Each of the transverse series of subdivisions of the right handhalf of the blank is numbered reversely'to the numbering ofthe corresponding subdivisions on the left hand section of the blank, so that'when the blank is folded along the line 6, the correspondingly numbered subdivisions of the two sections of the blank will come into register, for a purpose as Will be hereinafter explained.

In using the present blank, say for instance at some particular cantonment to which identification serial numbers have been allotted, such serial numbers, as indicated at A, are typewritten or otherwise applied successively to the subdivisions of the left hand section of the blank.

Also the names of the various individuals are applied to the said subdivisions in ac cordance with the allotments of the serial numbers to said individuals, one such name being shown at B. Any other data may be applied to the subdivisions, as for instance the letters U. S. A. as shown in the drawing. \Vhen the desired number of names have been applied to the subdivisions of the left hand section of the blank, the finger prints of the various individuals are impressed in the appropriate subdivisions of the right hand half of the blank. In the particular instance illustrated in the accompanying drawing, the identification data of John Doe has been entered in subdivision 1, and therefore his finger print has been made in subdivision 1 of the right hand half of the blank as indicated at C, so that when the blank is folded along the line 6, or separated along the line 6 and the blanks placed back to back, the finger print of John Doe will register with the other identification data of John Doe. Following out this method for each of the individuals, it will be readily understood that each finger print will register with the corresponding identification data when the blank sections are placed back to back.

Having collected the data on the blank, as above described, thedata of one of. the blank sections is transferred to one side of a metal plate, preferably Monel metal, and the data of the other section of the blank is transferred to the opposite side of the plate, care being taken to have the blanks register in order that the respective finger prints will register with the corresponding identification data on the opposite side of the plate. This transfer may be accomplished in any suitable or desired manner,

ut it is preferred to accomplish the same by providing each face of the plate with a light sensitive, acid resist coating to which the data is photographically transferred, and then the plate is subjected to an etching solution, as by being placed in a bath of the etching solution until the surface of the plate has been attacked and eatenaway by the solution along the lines ofthe data photographically transferred to the resist. By this method, the. data will appear intaglio upon each side of the plate, thus avoiding projections which'are subject to rapid wear and which would result in annoyance to the wearers of the tags. After the etching has been finished and the resist coating removed from the plate, the portions of the plate carrying the registered identification data ar simultaneously severed from the plate, as by punching. If desired the severing may be done before removing the resist coatbhould the sunken identification characters become filled with dirt or any other material, it is obvious that the characters will be protected thereby. The dirt or other material can be readily removed from the sunken characters whenever inspection or comparison thereof is desired.

hat I claim is:

1. The herein described method which consists in applying a plurality of data units to one side of a plate, also applying a plurality of other data units to the opposite side of the said plate and in register with the first mentioned units, and severing from the plate the individual plate portions carrying the registered data units.

2. The herein described method which consists in etching a plurality of data units upon one side of a plate, also etching a plurality of other data units upon the opposite side of the said plate and in register with the first mentioned units, and severing from the plate the individual plate portions carrying the registered data units.

3. The herein described method which consists in simultaneously etching a plurality of data units upon opposite sides of a, plate andin registered relation, and simultaneous- 1y severing from the plate the individual plate portions carrying the registered data units. 4. The herein described method which consists in providing a plurality of data units, also providinga plurality of other data units, photographically transferring the two sets of units to opposite sides of a plate in registered relation, fixing the several data units on the plate and severing from the plate the individual plate portions carrying the registered data units.

5. The herein described method which consists in providing a series of data units, also providing other data units arranged in a series reverse to the series arrangementof the first named data units, transferring the two series of data units to opposite sides of a plate with the corresponding units of said series in register, and severing from the plate the individual plate portions carrying the registered data.

6. The herein described method which consists in providing a plurality of data units, also providing a plurality of other data units, transfering the two sets of units to opposite sides of a plate in registered relation, etching the data units upon the plate and severing from the plate the individual plate portions carrying the registered data units.

7. The herein described method which consists in providing two sheets correspondingly subdivided, applying identification data to a series of the subdivisions of'one of the sheets, applying other identification data to a corresponding series of the subdivisions oi the other sheet and in reverse order to the arrangement on the first mentioned sheet, transferring the data of the respective sheets to opposite sides of a plate and in registered relation, and severing from the plate the individual plate portions carrying the registered matter.

8. The herein described method of making identification tags, which consists in providing two sheets correspondingly subdivided, applying identification data units to a series of the subdivisions of one of the sheets, applying to the corresponding series of subdivisions of the other sheet finger prints corresponding to the identification data on the first mentioned sheet and in a series arrangement reverse to that of the identification data units, transferring the identification data units and the finger prints to opposite sides of a plate with the finger prints registered with the corresponding identification data units, etching the data and the finger prints upon the plates and severing from the plate the individual plate portions carrying the identification matter.

CHARLES JUDSON STODDARD. 

